Meningitis alert from UCF Health Services

Recent alert from UCF Health Services concerning meningitis alert

Submitted for: UCF Health Services Subject: Meningitis Alert The Orange County Public Health Department (OCPHD) has informed UCF Health Services officials that a senior in the UCF Nursing program -- who lives in a house off campus with family members -- has a confirmed diagnosis of meningococcal meningitis, a type of bacterial meningitis. On behalf of the entire UCF community, our strongest hopes for a complete recovery go out to the student. OCPHD already has identified and contacted the closest contacts considered at risk, all of whom have received the antibiotic CIPRO. UCF Health Services staff has been working closely with OCPHD health officials to assist them in identifying those individuals who may have had exposure to the illness. The student is a senior in the UCF Nursing program, and Nursing students in the student’s classes (Adult Health on Mondays and Mental Health on Wednesdays) were informed of the situation Friday evening and advised to receive the antibiotic at UCF Health Services if they felt they were in close enough contact to be high risk. Exposure that imparts risk for transmission involves close contact with an infected individual. Close contact is defined as persons who shared a household with the student or had direct contact with oral secretions (kissing, sharing a drink, sharing food from the same plate, sharing a cigarette or being coughed on from very close proximity). Those persons who have had close exposure within the past seven days benefit from the use of preventative antibiotics. Classic symptoms of meningitis include high fever, confusion and neck stiffness. Those symptoms can develop over several hours, or they may take one to two days. Other symptoms may include headache, nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to lights and seizures. Persons with such symptoms should seek prompt medical attention. Previous vaccination for meningitis does not necessarily protect persons from acquiring this illness (because the vaccine is not 100 percent effective in protecting against the various strains of bacterial meningitis). Vaccination would not be the appropriate intervention for those persons who have had close contact. Anyone who has not had close contact and desires vaccination, or anyone who has other questions or concerns regarding meningococcal meningitis, can call the UCF Health Center during normal hours of operation at 407-823-2701. UCF Health Services Hours of Operation: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. For more information on UCF Health Services, go to www.hs.ucf.edu.